Here are two of the smaller GloBug balloon lights from Multiquip. An integral fan keeps the fabric diffuser inflated and away from the bulb in metal halide models. There are also some LED models. GloBugs can be used for road construction, mining, disaster relief, and wherever highly portable lights are required. These things are incredibly bright; the Multiquip booth was in a part of the convention center that is normally dim. Not this time.

Makita unveiled their dual battery 7 ¼-inch circular saw at the STAFDA show but no one could touch it because it was a prototype and was being kept under glass. Not so the World of Concrete; the company brought production models and anyone who wanted could try them out.

I own one of these—not Blaklader's work kilt, their Two Fisted Fleece Jacket. I like it because it's warm and has plenty of pockets: a chest pocket, phone pocket, side pockets, and a pocket on back for gloves or a hat. The ends of the sleeves have thumb loops which allow you to keep your hands a bit warmer without wearing gloves; if you loop your thumb through only your thumb and fingers will project from the sleeve.

This odd looking contraption is an Oztec Concrete Ceiling Grinder. I talked to a guy at the booth and he said it is used to remove the ridge that is left at the joint between forms. This thing is basically a grinder head connected to a big motor by a monstrous flexible shaft. The head is attached to a spring-loaded arm that holds it against the ceiling. This particular setup costs something like $3,800.

The ErgoMek Drill Boss is designed for the contractor who needs to drill a LOT of holes. Instead of holding the rotary hammer by hand, you mount it in the gizmo and then turn the crank. Click here for more info and to see it in action.

To show how tough their JobClock is, the folks at ExakTime put the product in water and then froze it into a block of ice. Little did they know that the winter of 2014 would do much the same on construction sites across the eastern half of the country.

Here's IQ Power Tools solution to the problem of dealing with dust while cutting concrete—a saw that collects it. The issue goes beyond mere convenience; if the proposed OSHA crystalline silica rule goes through you'll be cutting wet or doing something like this (PC912 Power Cutter) when you cut concrete in the future.

Two Bosch wormdrives. The one in back is an earlier model (1677M) while the one in the front is their newest (CSW41). Both greatly resemble Skil models, which should come as no surprise because Skil is owned by Bosch.

My friend Scott tries his hand at the excavator simulator at the John Deere booth. The company makes these for several machines because it's cheaper and easier to train on simulators than on the real thing. Click here for video.

Stertil Koni's heavy duty lift system can lift and amazing amount of weight. The units under this truck are battery powered and each can lift 22,000 pounds. I watched the thing go up and down a couple of times and lifting a concrete truck was no strain at all. Jay Leno has something like this in his garage (or maybe it should be "in one of his garages"). Click here to see it in action.

I’ve been to the World of Concrete several times and yet I’m always amazed by the way they manage to bring pump trucks into the convention hall and extend their booms around posts and other obstructions.

Most of the tools and displays at the World of Concrete arrive in crates and trailers--which are stored in outdoor lots during the show. There are more of them than you can imagine and they cover acres and acres of ground. These are just a small portion of the crates and trailers stored in one area of the convention center grounds. The only way to see more crates than there are at WOC is to watch the end of Citizen Kane or Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The big monitor makes this look like a jobsite entertainment system, but it's actually Knaack's DataVault Mobile Digital Plan Station. It's a secure lockable field station that includes a 40-inch monitor, color printer, backup power supply, 4 port USB hub, 2 port USB switch, and a Power Crew power supply.

You made it to the 50th slide, which can only mean one thing—you're a candidate to attend The World of Concrete. It's tools, machines, and Vegas—what more could you want?

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Held each year in Las Vegas, this event might just be the 8th Wonder of the World.

Unless you have been to the World of Concrete it's hard to imagine the size and scope of the show. Everything—and I mean EVERYTHING—related to concrete (and of course, tools) is being demonstrated or on display. Wanna see the latest and greatest in decorative concrete techniques? There's a parking lot filled with artisans dying, staining, and sculpting concrete. Like looking at big trucks and machines? Go inside and walk down aisles filled with bulldozers, road surfacing equipment, and concrete trucks, pumpers, and batch plants. Interested in regular old power tools? You can see those too and probably get to try them out.

If you are into tools and equipment you owe it to yourself to go to this show at least once in your life. Instead of describing what was there this year, I'll show you pictures instead—of 50 cool things you could have seen at the World of Concrete.